15 minutes of knowledge

passive learning is the best sleep aid ever invented. students have known this for years.

most every night, we go to bed and dial up a documentary (cool netflix box). i put down what i'm reading and begin watching. i am interested. i am learning. then, 15 minutes later i'm asleep.

here's what i've learned:

king corn: two guys find corn in their hair, move to iowa, and plant one acre of corn. it may or may not have grown.

three part history of egypt: the egyptians are taken over. they plot to gain power. next episode they seem to have power again and begin building things. final episode, egypt remains egypt. (i may not have made the whole 15 minutes there).

lewis and clarke (tried five consequtive nights): lewis and clark hang out with the woman from the dollar coin, though they pronounce her name differently. they run into lots of europeans as they travel where no white man has gone before. at some point they reach the coast and try to hail a ship. i think they still might be there.

secret societies: the statue of liberty may or may not be a symbol of the illuminati and the masons. coincidentally, a beacon of light symbolizes the same thing to the secret societies as it does to everyone else. then bush joins the skull and bones. not sure if he becomes president.

history of the universe (tried three times): the universe is old.

and on and on. i've learned very little about a multitude of topics. overall, though, i've learned the power of learning. it packs the sleeping punch of a bottle of bourbon without the side effects.